Race – 14 Wing Air Force Triathlon – Greenwood – Sun Jun 29
This is a new triathlon/duathlon this year. It is a pool swim. Several BTC members have signed up and we’ll have a race report in the ‘responses’ below.
Registration closes on Wednesday Jun 25
You can regsiter online at : http://www.atlanticchip.ca/events/details.php?show=306
RACE PREVIEW in ‘responses’
2 responses so far
Greenwood Triathlon/Duathlon
Congratulations to everyone that participated today in Greenwood. A big turnout from the BTC:
Duathon – NormaJean
SuperSprint – Christine, Llew, Tiffany and Wade
Sprint – Jen, Natalie, Tammy and Tom
This was the first year for this event. A couple of minor organizational glitches for the first wave, but otherwise, the entire event was run with military precision.
The facilities were fantastic! — the 8 lane 25M pool would look *really* nice in Bridgewater.
The bike course was multi-loop and virtually traffic free. A couple of twists and turns meant you had to pay attention and it was basically flat. The run was a multi-loop and pretty much flat (one gradual hill)
As the day progressed, the wind picked up and there was a bit of drizzle. It seemed quite chilly by the time the awards were given out at 12:30. Prizes from TNS (gift certificates to TNS members for Aerobics First, Maritime Campus, Popeye’s, Cyclesmith, and the Trail Shop) with medals from the Greenwood Race organizers. (Tiffany – 1st in Age Group, Tom – 1st in Age Group)
Complete results are online at : http://www.atlanticchip.ca/events/results.php?year=2008
If anyone has photos from the event that we can put on the BTC website, please send them to me.
–Tom
RACE PREVIEW – 14 Wing Greenwood Triathlon and Duathlon
Reprinted with permission from the Triathlon Nova Scotia ‘Turnaround’ Volume#3 Issue#9
http://www.trinis.ca
by Andrew Dacanay
The 14 Wing Greenwood Triathlon is a new event this year, directed by Ottawa Iron distance duathlon winner Denis Choquette.
It is patterned after the Navy Tridents Triathlon, being a pool-based swim with multiple heats.
The major difference, of course, is this is an Air Force, not a Navy, event and it remains to be seen if the navy steams up the 101 on Sunday to show the locals what ‘Senior Service’ really means.
In the interests of strict neutrality we understand the TD and timers will be taking notes and writing infractions using ‘Army’ ballpoint pens, a useful bit of bling handed out by the CFB Gagetown team at the Cabot Trail Relay.
Race HQ is in the base fitness centre; the same location at the ZX Cycle & Run 10 K race earlier in the season.
If you don’t know it, after you hang left at Sobeys, drive straight on; you’ll know you’re on the base when the pavement quality suddenly increases and there aren’t any Timmies cups on the grass any more.
You’re now on the run course, so drive carefully in case there is an earlier heat on the road already.
Race HQ is about 1.5 km into the base, behind the Base HQ building (the one with all the flags).
The swim is in the pool, so leave the neoprene at home. No mud, no weeds, no eels, no going off-course here. ‘nuff said. Some guys may be unfamiliar with this trick, but you can roll your tri-top down and tuck it into your tri-shorts and roll it on while you’re running out to T1. Try it, it’s a time saver.
It’s a short run from the pool deck to TZ, which is in one of the car-park. Grab your bike and head to the exit.
The bike course may be flat but it’s technical, so keep your head up and your wits about you. It takes in the roads through the base so traffic counts should be low, but there are five laps. After a few hundred metres turn right onto Ad Astra, and we can guarantee, if you’re doing this right, by the end of five laps you will be seeing stars. After maybe 500m on Ad Astra do a right turn by the mess (big blue building). If you go straight on here you’ll hit the gate guards for the runway.
Remember they’ll aim for the tyres first; but the tyres are only 23mm wide!
After this turn it slightly downhill to a quick right/left combo by base medical. Then its straight on through the base housing to the base mall (which will be closed). You’ll turn right onto a side-street, just before the traffic lights, do your U-turn and rejoin the road to retrace your tracks; be careful at the chicane (now right-left) as there’ll be people coming the other way. Instead of going back into TZ you’ll turn where you joined Ad Astra and repeat the course again, and again, and again.
When you’ve done as many laps as you can bear, return to TZ, slip on your New Balances and head out of the base the way you drove in.
You’ll pass the base museum on the right as you run out. You’ll see an Argus, the Aurora’s predecessor, as well as a WWII era Halifax; and if you ever think a Dash-8 to Sydney is bad, imagine flying to somewhere over Europe from Biggin Hill in one of those, hoping there’s a return ticket at the end of it!
The finish is in the Base HQ carpark and we hear there may be a finish line photographer so remember the #1 rule for Eurotrash roadies; always look good, even when you’re suffering like a dog.
So it’s shades on, take the arm-warmers off (especially if you’ve been wearing arm-warmers and a tri-top) and smile for the camera.
Denis has a competitive field already for this first running of the event. Jacob Meisner is down to try and exorcise the ghosts of Ingonish whilst Antar Fuentes-Ortega, HOTH winner, is down to try and channel some more of whatever it was he channeled in Ingonish. Parker Vaughan will be fine-tuning his form as his Canada Games selection campaign continues. On the ladies side we see this years unstoppable force, Emily Wood, continue her own Canada Games selection campaign as well as evidently trying to end the season with a perfect 100 points score.
Cyclesmith TD Pat MacDonald is going to turn a pedal in anger for, we think, the first time this season and if she sees you playing silly buggers on Ad Astra, she’ll probably grass you up to the TD, so beware!
We also see several of the Youth team down for the SuperSprint and, unlike at Navy, we hope they will be counting their laps this Sunday.
This is the final ‘traditional’ triathlon before the Provincial Championships on July 20th in Port Hood, so it is your last chance to practice a transition ‘in anger’ or to try out a new piece of kit or technique before the big one.
It is the fifth event in as many weeks and marks practically the halfway point of the TNS season.